the confidence and ease that ronald reagan projected and jimmy carter looked a little bit defensive. that's the impression that lasts. >> even al gore and george w. bush i think is a good example of body language told so much during those debates. al gore was up in the polls and had a series of very poor debate performances. >> al gore had been a very effective, aggressive debater. in the first debate, he was seen as being too aggressive. the famous sighs and all the rest. in the second debate, he was almost too laid back. by the third he had a kind of just right approach, but by that time, those performances and all the other factors in the 2011 election held him back. >> how important is humor? >> it can be very important, but it's something that has to -- i guess some humorous lines probably are prescripted. there you go again by reagan most people feel w prepared. that, of course, is the magic. >> remember what lloyd benson said about dan quayle and president kennedy. >> yes, that was the famous line, jack kennedy was a friend of mine. senator, you're no jack kennedy. >> in jim l